ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL COINS

ANCIENT OLBIA DOLPHIN
COIN

Olbia
was a Greek city on the Black
Sea in what is now Ukraine. Between the 5th and 3rd century
BC it issued these unusual bronze dolphin shaped coins. The crudely
cast coins vary in size, from about 18mm to 26mm and lack
tails. This coin was minted without inscriptions. They are
one of the most unusual ancient coins
available, yet are now remarkably affordable due to some the discovery
of some large hoards.

WIDOW'S MITE FROM THE
TIME OF CHRIST

The
story of the Widow's Mite can be found in the Bible in Mark
12:41-44. For Jesus, the widow's small offering of her only
two small coins was worth far more than the large contributions of the
rich who gave only a small portion of what they had. The
mite, also known as the lepton, was the smallest denomination
struck in ancient Judea. The coin was first struck during the
reign of Alexander Janeaus, and continued to be used during the time of
Christ. Most display an ancient anchor on one side and a
wheel on the other, though other designs were used as well. Minters
were paid by how many pieces they produced, not how well they produced
them. As a result the coins tend to be crude or off center,
and every coin is different. This historic coin of
the Bible is over 2000 years old and comes with a Certificate of
Authenticity.

COIN
OF ROMAN EMPEROR NERO

Though
it is probably apocryphal that Nero “fiddled while Rome burned”, we do
know he was a lover of the arts and sports; and he was famous for his
debaucheries, political murders, and the persecution of Christians. He
became Emperor at age 17 in 54AD upon the poisoning death of Emperor
Claudius. It is believed that he poisoned his step-brother Brittanicus,
had his mother Agrippina murdered, executed his first wife Claudia
after divorcing her, and kicked his second wife Poppea to
death. He carried on an affair with Statilia Messalina, and
then forced her husband to commit suicide so he could marry
her. He ordered a young man named Sporus to be castrated, so
he could marry him as well. He is rumored to have Christians
dipped in oil and set on fire to provide light in his garden at
night. Many others, including Saint Peter, were crucified. As
his reign progressed, the treasury became
depleted due to his excessive spending on palaces and public buildings.
Executions increased and Nero devoted more and more of his time to
sports, music festivals and orgies. The Senate and the leader
of the Praetorian Guard turned eventually against him and his
excesses. Hearing that the Senate condemned him to be beaten
to death, he committed suicide in 68AD. Nero is pictured on
this
debased silver tetradrachm struck in Alexandria, Egypt. At
the time Egypt was under Roman control. The coin is approximately 24mm
in diameter. It is an important artifact of one of Rome’s
most infamous emperors.

Item NERO ROMAN EGYPT, TETRADRACHM OF NERO
54-68AD
F-VF $150.00

THE RISE OF
CHRISTIANITY IN ANCIENT ROME - A SET OF 12 BRONZE COINS

In the 300 years between the death of Jesus and the death of
Constantine the Great, Christianity went from being the nascent belief
system of a dozen disciples to the official religion of the mighty
Roman Empire. This remarkable collection tells the story in
coins. Gallienus issued the Edict of Toleration, making
Christianity legal in the Empire for the first time. Claudius
II Gothicus reversed this decision, persecuting Christians in the
realm. Constantine I was the first Christian
emperor. he and Licinius I issued the Edict of Milan in 313,
decreeing that all Christians in Rome must be treated
benevolently. Constantine's sons, Constaintine II,
Constantinus II and Constans maintained their father's
policy. Only Julian II, called the Aspotate by the Church,
attempted to revert to paganism, but by then it was too late.
By the time Valentinian, Valens and Gratian, Rome was officially
Christian; indeed, those three emperors converted barbarians to
Christianity. This set of 12 ancient Roman bronze coins
includes coins of Gallienus (253-258), Claudius II Gothicus (268-270),
Constantine the Great (307-337), Licinius I (308-324), Constantine II
(337-340), Constantinus II (337-361), Constans (337-350),
Donstantintius Gallus (351-34), Julian II the Apostate (360-364),
Valentian I the Great (364-378), Valens (364-378) and Gratian
(367-383). After the Fourth Century, Rome was often ruled by
more than one emperor at the same time.
The obverse of each coin shows the portrait of the emperor at the time
the coins were minted. The reverse shows pictures and phrases
depicting current concerns, history and mythology. The coins
grade Very Good or better. They are guaranteed
genuine and
are packaged in an attractive descriptive
folder.

BRONZE COIN OF THE
KUSHAN EMPIRE

The
Kushan Empire covered
much what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Northern India from about the first to the third century AD.
They grew wealthy controlling trade centers on the Silk Road and on the
Indus River and incorporated elements of the Greek, Roman, Chinese,
Persian, Indian and other cultures into their lives. Their
coins incorporate Greek designs and often use a corrupted Greek
alphabet in the legends. We offer a
well made bronze Tetradrachms of Kushan king “Soter Megas”.
The
title "Soter Megas" means Great Savior. The coin,
which grades VG to Fine, shows the Greek style diademed bust of the
king on one side, and the king on horseback on the other. The
king thought of himself as being so great, he did not need to put his
actual name on the coin. Until quite recently however,
scholars did not know who really was! It is now believed that
he is Vima Takha who succeeded Kujula Kadphises, ruling from
80AD to
105AD. He expanded his empire into what is now
Pakistan.

Item
SOTER
KUSHAN BRONZE TETRADRACHM, SOTER
MEGAS 80-105AD VG-F
$9.75

SILVER COINS OF THE
HABBARID AMIRS OF SIND

Sind,
located in what is now the south-eastern portion of Pakistan, was
conquered by
the Umayyad empire in 711AD during the reign of Caliph
al-Walid.
The Umayyad conquest was brought about by Sind pirates
attacking Arab vessels and imprisoning Muslim widows and orphans. Sind
became easternmost province of the vast Umayyad Caliphate which
stretched from Spain to India. By the late 9th
Century the Habbarid (Hibari) Dynasty was able assert control over
Sind, giving only nominal allegiance to the Caliph. In 1010AD
the Ghaznavids conquered Sind. The coinage of the Habbarid of
Sind (also known as the Amirs of Sindh) consisted of these small (10 to
11mm) silver Dhammas. The coins feature Arabic inscriptions on both
sides.

LAST COIN OF THE
GHAZNAVID EMPIRE

The
Ghaznavid Empire was founded in 975AD by Turkish slave
soldiers. At its peak it ruled an area that now consists of
parts of Iran,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Pakistan and
north-west India.
It
grew wealthy due to its trading
position on the Silk Road and regular raids into
India. By the time Sultan Khusrau Malik came to power in 1160
it was
in serious decline. It lost its territory in Central Asia and Iran and
eventually lost its capital city of Ghazi to Turkish and Ghorid
invaders. Khusrau Malik then moved the capital to
Lahore. Lahore was
initially spared from the Ghorid invaders when Khusrau Malik paid them
bypass the city, however the Ghorids eventually laid siege to the
city. In 1186 he was captured by the Ghorids on a
ruse. They promised
to release his son who had earlier been taken hostage.
Instead they
captured him as soon as he left the safety of his fort; bringing an end
to Ghaznavid rule. The 15mm bronze Jital was minted for
Khusrau Malik
in Lahore. One side features an extremely crude line drawing
of a
Brahma bull. The other side has inscriptions. This
inexpensive coin
is the sad end of a once rich and glorious empire.

MEDIEVAL SILVER COIN OF THE SHAHIS OF
KABUL

The
Shahi’s were a rich Hindu dynasty ruling parts of what is now
Afghanistan and Pakistan. About 750AD they introduced a new silver
coin, called a Jital. One side showed a recumbent Brahma
bull, a traditional symbol of the Hinduism. The other pictured a man on
a horse holding a shield and a lance, reflecting the Afghans love of
fine horsemanship. As each generation copied the design from the coins
found in circulation, the images became extremely crude, looking like
something a young child might draw. Despite the dynasty’s
collapse about 1000AD, the Bull and Horseman design continued to be
struck in India and Pakistan for hundreds of years though becoming
increasingly crude and debased. These crude, undated, medieval Bull and
Horseman silver Jitals were made by the Shahis of Kabul approximately
950AD. Compared to contemporary medieval European coins which sell for
hundreds of dollars, they are quite a bargain!

SHAHI
SHAHIS OF KABUL SILVER JITAL, circa 950AD
VG-F-Crude
$19.50

THE
WOMAN WHO WAS A KING…AND A PAWN

Mary,
also known as Maria, was the daughter of Louis the Great, King of
Hungary and Poland and Elizabeth of Bosnia. Born in
1371, she was promised in marriage to Sigismund of Luxembourg when she
was less than a year old. Louis died when she was about
eleven years old. Her parents arranged for her to be the “King” of
Hungary, with Elizabeth acting as her regent. The idea of a
female king was unpopular with the Hungarian nobles and there was open
rebellion. The nobles invited Mary’s distant cousin Charles III of
Naples, to take the throne. To strengthen Mary’s political
position, Elizabeth then arranged for her to be engaged Louis, the
brother of Charles VI of France. In 1385 Charles III of
Naples invaded Hungary from the south to claim his throne, and
Sigismund invaded from the north to claim his bride.
Sigismund arrived in the capital of Buda and was married to Mary in
October 1385, however he was not proclaimed king or given royal
titles. He quickly departed Buda, then mortgaged a large
portion of the country. Charles of Naples arrived in Buda in
December 1385. Mary, fearing for her life, resigned the
throne and Charles was crowned King of Hungary. In February
1386 Elizabeth had Charles murdered. Mary was again
proclaimed King with Elizabeth still in control. In July 1386
Mary and Elizabeth were captured by supporters of Ladislaus, the son of
the murdered Charles III. Mary’s close confidants, who were
traveling with them, were beheaded and their heads thrown into the
royal carriage holding Mary and Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth
were held in captivity where Elizabeth was strangled in Mary’s
presence. The nobility had Sigismund crowned King of Hungary on March
31, 1387. One of Sigismund’s supporters, with the help of the
Venetian fleet, freed Mary. Mary was reunited with her
husband and though co-ruler, had little influence on
government. In May 1395 Mary, although pregnant, ventured out
alone on a hunt. Her horse fell and landed on top of her,
which induced labor. She gave birth prematurely to a
son. Not having any assistance, Mary and her son died
alone. This attractive silver Denar of Mary issued between
1383 and 1385. One side of the 13mm silver coin features a
crown; the other side has a patriarchal cross. It is an
historic coin from a woman whose life sounds like something from the
"Game of Thrones".

ANCIENT &
MEDIEVAL COIN SPECIAL

A selection of three different identified ancient and medieval coins,
including one silver coin. The coins are primarily
from India and central Asia. This was one of my best
sellers for almost 40 years, however I had to discontinue it
due to the lack of affordable ancients. Due to a very fortunate recent
purchase, we can again offer this special deal.
Each coin is identified in its own envelope. Coins grade Good
to Very Fine.